After years of vacationing on South Padre Island, chances are you began to think differently about this Texas vacation destination, considering it your home away from home at first and then gradually beginning to wonder, why couldn’t it just be your home? Offering a tropical paradise with soft white sands and turquoise waters, warm temperatures year round, and that innate Texas friendliness, it’s only right that you find yourself wanting to stay!
But now the question is, where should you look for a property? There are many lovely residential communities on South Padre Island, but there is one resort community that we at Franke Realty believe should be the first place you search, and that community is The Shores resort development.
Falling in Love with The Shores
If you have been vacationing on South Padre Island for a while, chances are you already know a little about The Shores. It is a 240+ acre master-planned community, built to maximize the SPI experience while also offering the chance to become a part of a neighborhood that feels safe and inclusive. This community is chock full of amenities, the details of which we will cover below, but it is the neighborliness of The Shores that will make you and your family feel right at home.
This is a place where you will walk or ride bikes more than drive your car, a place where neighbors won’t just wave at you as you go by; they will stop, talk, ask you how you are doing, and really listen to your answer. The Shores has long been a dream of ours in the Franke family, and as the decades have passed and our dreams are being realized, we invite you to drop by, take a look around, and see if one of the properties here will speak to you, making you fall in love with The Shores like we do.
Inviting and Welcoming
Your first thought as you drive past the sign welcoming you to The Shores may be that you’ve obviously arrived in paradise. Red brick streets framed by sidewalks on both sides contrast against the green grass, white properties, and as you venture further in, blue waters, creating a colorful ambience that makes you feel right at home. Our properties are a little closer together than what you may be used to in your Midwestern community back home, but the privacy is still there, and the yardwork will be negligible. And just as in all the best communities, there is a park your kids will beg to play in and you will want to explore yourself, offering sports courts, green areas, and locations that are close enough to the beach that you may be able to hear the roar of the surf on quieter days in the neighborhood.
Shop and Dine Without Leaving the Borders of the Community
The Shores resort community is a wonderful and tranquil one, designed to make you never want to leave and built so you rarely have to. Offering stores and shops, restaurants and cafés, clubs and other nightlife spots, the upscale vibe and quiet ambience will make all your shopping and dining experiences ones that will feed your soul in ways you just won’t find outside the resort. And because this community was created to be a pedestrian, your favorite shops and restaurants will always be within walking distance of your family home, but you can always ride your bike if you prefer. Either option is good for both your health and the environment we want to preserve so you can continue to enjoy the simple beauty of a South Padre Island day for decades to come.
The Homes at The Shores
Unlike many of the cookie cutter neighborhoods you may be used to, The Shores offers a large variety of home styles, including beachfront cottages and condos, family homes, and grand estates that will let the world know that you have arrived. Not every property lies on the beach—some may be located in the interior of the community, others may be further back—but all will be close enough to those white sand beaches that the vibe, the serenity, and the salt air will be an everyday part of your real life.
Because The Shores is still growing, there are lots that are available for building the property that fits your needs and makes your home sweet home dreams come true. Below, we have offered a glimpse of the properties that are currently available, giving you an idea of what you can expect from The Shores (and Franke Realty) during your hunt.
Different But Same
Even as every property in The Shores is different from the others, there are qualities, traits, and design decisions that make it easy to see that the home you are looking at is in this resort community, not in some bland and nondescript neighborhood that could be in any state in the nation.
The smallest cottages and the largest homes will feature large and welcoming front porches that greet neighbors and friends, inviting them to sit down (you’ll probably want to invest in a few rocking chairs) and share a pitcher of sweet tea. Inside, spacious rooms, high ceilings, and windows that stretch from floor to ceiling ensure that each space will be light and bright.
Our “older” homes (remember, The Shores community is relatively new, with construction beginning in the 90s) will share the joy of family, friendship, and echoes of laughter from all who have lived there before. And in all homes, large or small, open concept floor plans will ensure that all who live within will stay connected, even as they are doing their own thing in each space.
Community Amenities
We mentioned that homes are closer together and yards are smaller in The Shores resort community, but if that made you wonder where your kids will be able to play, or how you will be able to survive a Texas summer without a pool in your backyard, don’t worry! The community amenities will ensure that you don’t miss a thing.
Our amenities in this community are extensive, comparing with the best resorts you may have stayed in anywhere else in the world, and this New Urban lifestyle will be one that you will continue to benefit from forevermore. We’ve listed some of our favorite amenities below, but if you have visited the resort before and we have missed some of your favorites, please be sure to let us know!
Two Community Pools
Parents with young children understand the difficulty in being able to find a place for their kids to play in the water safely, and although our community is built on the water, there is always room for a pool, or in this case, two! The main community pool is a large one, surrounded by lounge chairs and sure to be your second favorite way to cool off on a hot summer’s day, but it is the second pool that will make you realize just how much we understand families. The second pool is a children’s pool, offering shallower waters and giving parents the opportunity to relax a little more as their kiddos splash happily and safely, under their watchful eye, of course. And because less is never more, the Poolside Pantry, a small snack and beverage spot, is located next to the big pool, ensuring that you don’t go hungry or get too thirsty.
All the Sports Courts
Feeling bored on a too quiet day? Head over to the community center and play a pickup game with your neighbors on one of the large number of sports courts offered as an amenity for residents and guests. Tennis courts, a half basketball court, and four pickleball courts ensure that you will never have to be bored and your teenagers will have something other than video games to keep their interest.
The Community Park
Located in the Marina Village Section Two area of The Shores, the community park is the epicenter of all that is wonderful about neighborhoods and is where all of the above amenities are located. This is where kids will play and parents will chat with other parents as the sun sets and the streetlights come on, indicating it is time to go home and see about starting supper before it is time to do homework. A kids’ play area, complete with playground equipment for the littles to scramble all over, adds to the joy you will receive from your time at the park, which again, is located within walking or riding distance of your own backyard.
The Marina
When the sea is all around you, it’s only natural to include it in your daily activities, and many of your neighbors in The Shores own their own boats, which makes the marina one of our most popular amenities. Offering boat slips that owners can purchase, each dock offers slips for 18 boats that can be up to 30 feet long, making it easy and convenient to head out onto Laguna Madre Bay for a day of boating, fishing, or dolphin watching, with the latter being especially enjoyable at sunset. The freedom of the water awaits you at the marina in your neighborhood—again, a marina located not far from your new family home—adding another benefit to living in a pedestrian friendly resort community.
More Wonderful Amenities Included with Your Home Ownership in The Shores
As if all the above were not enough, there is still a long list of amenities that will make your life in The Shores community more fun, easier, and safer. Obviously, the fact that it is a gated community will make you feel safer, as does the security patrol that monitors the entire community. South Padre Island is a safe place, but we have discovered that families are perhaps the most thrilled by the added security measures.
Also offering private beach access and beach chair and water sport rentals, your leisure hours will be fully booked, but of course, that’s not all. Yoga classes are offered every Tuesday and Thursday at the community pool at 8 AM in the summer months, and lessons in how to build the most beautiful sandcastles can be purchased, giving you and your children more fun ways to spend time together.
Franke Realty Welcomes You to the Neighborhood
Life moves at an easier pace in The Shores, and as you play, relax, and find comfort in your new home, our team’s best reward will be seeing the joy you take in your house hunting and purchasing experience. Life can be chaotic, but the innate serenity of the sea and the attention that has been paid to all the details that make this community one of the most popular communities in all of South Padre Island will help you keep your peace.
We at Franke Realty welcome you to our favorite island community and greet you not just as a client, but as a neighbor and a friend, helping you find the home that fits you and your family like a fine leather glove. Give us a call today or stop by our offices to learn more about this wonderful master planned community and let’s start the search for the new property of your dreams!
